Goetz Victim Deflects Attack On Credibility

May 05, 1987|By Philip Lentz, Chicago Tribune.

NEW YORK — Troy Canty, one of four youths shot on a subway by Bernhard Goetz, withstood a day of taunts and verbal assaults Monday as he fended off attempts by Goetz`s attorney to damage his credibility.

Barry Slotnick, one of New York`s best-known lawyers, was unable to rattle Canty, a self-described street thug and drug addict, or to force him to back off his version of the shooting.

Goetz is charged with attempted murder in the shooting of four young men on a Manhattan subway on Dec. 22, 1984.

Canty, now 21 and enrolled in a drug rehabilitation program, testified last Friday that he wasn`t trying to rob Goetz when he asked him for $5 on the subway.

Slotnick pressed Canty on details about his past--he has admitted to a long criminal record--and the investigation after the shooting, but Canty pleaded frequent loss of memory, thwarting Slotnick`s attempt to show inconsistencies in his testimony.

As the day wore on, Slotnick became increasingly frustrated and found himself fencing with prosecutor Gregory Waples and the judge, state Supreme Court Justice Stephen Crane.

At one point, when Slotnick persisted in a line of questioning that Crane had forbidden, Waples stood, held his hands to his head and said, ``This is misconduct. What am I supposed to do?``

At another point, when Slotnick asked Canty if he knew whether another victim, Darrell Cabey, had been arrested for armed robbery, Crane sustained an objection and then admonished Slotnick, ``Don`t ask a question like that again.``

Slotnick tried to impeach Canty`s credibility because Goetz claims that he fired in self-defense in the belief that Canty and three friends were about to rob him. The prosecution argues that a robbery was not in progress and that Goetz overreacted, using unnecessary force.

Slotnick did draw out some admissions from Canty. At one point, he read Canty`s testimony before the grand jury that indicted Goetz. In that testimony, Canty said he was the leader of the four youths who were shot, contradicting his statement Friday that he was not the leader.